Two Guys on Block Island

This week's episode courtesy of:

BI Fishworks - The Neptune House - Fort Island Kayaks - Diamond Blue Surf Shop

Vin McAloon is one of Block Island's elder statesmen. He arrived on Block Island at eight days old in 1939. Things were different back then and Vin's memories of his early days paint a vivid picture of simpler times on the island.

His family bounced around from rental property to rental property for many summers. One memorable tenure at the Saloveiken property found Vin waking up in the morning, opening his front door and walking across Corn Neck Road for a dip in the ocean to start most days.

Vin recounts the many jobs he's held over the years. From lifeguard at Town Beach to proprietor of both the Neptune House and the National Hotel and a stint as  Chief of Police, Vin's stories will have you in stitches. 

As one of the island's well-known taxi cab operators, Vin has shuttled thousands of visitors around Block Island. Any passenger lucky enough to take a ride with Vin surely was treated to a welcome from perhaps the most well-qualified ambassadors the island has to offer.

Just when you think there wasn't one more thing Vin could surprise you with, he stuns Rich and Marc with a tale of having to bring one of his own children into the world when it became apparent that hustling off-island to a hospital was not an option.

Sit back, relax and enjoy a look back at a truly remarkable Block Island life.

So here goes nothing!!!  It's our first "minisode". We found that our conversations with our guests are far too interesting, at least to us, and we couldn't fit any current events and other shiz that we hoped to get into. These "minisodes" will be shorter than our regular episodes and will be just the two of us. Most of the time. We think. We will be chit chatting about stuff that matters more today, reading some listener emails and discussing listener comments. Perhaps we may even go down a side road on our opinions on big world stuff and how we see it from our tiny Island. Hope you enjoy!

This week's episode courtesy of:

Captain Nick's - BI Fishworks -  Eli's -  Lila Delman Compass 

We were going to call this episode, "Tips for Tourists". Then we realized a couple of things.

One, even if you live on or visit Block Island regularly there are still places you probably haven't been or seen. So this episode may be of interest to you even if you have been to the island before.

Two, in these woke days we're living in, we want to be sensitive to those visitors to Block Island who view the term "tourist" as insulting. So let's not sugarcoat anything. Everyone starts as a visitor to Block Island. It's up to you whether or not you become a "tourist".

Rich and Marc are here to help! Look, we're not trying to be those guys who sit around and nag you, "Don't do this! Don't do that!   So we've done our best to try and balance our don'ts out with do's.

While we tried our best to squeeze in as much info as possible, there's just too damn much to see and do on Block Island to cover it all in ONE measly episode. But we manage to cover the following topics:

1) Getting to Block Island. 
2) Proper ferry etiquette.
3) How you can best see/tour the island if you're only here for a little while.
4) Which roads go where and what's at the end of them or around every corner.
5) The main points of interest along the way.

Think of this as your introductory level course on visiting Block Island. There is no test. At the end of the day we'll just silently judge you and decide whether you're a visitor...or a...

...you know what.

This week's episode courtesy of:

Fort Island Kayaks - Yellow Kittens - Blockstar/Mar Mar Jewels - The Atlantic Inn

Lisa Starr has lived many lives on Block Island. She doesn't live here anymore. She's a poet. And poets tend to wander. This would explain our conversation with Lisa. There's not a whole lot of linear things happening here and that's what makes this one of our most electrifying and heady episodes to date. 

We'd like to tell you more but frankly, we're exhausted. We love Lisa Starr. And so will you.

This week's episode courtesy of:

Block Island Fishworks - Captain Nick's - Club Soda - Diamond Blue Surf Shop

Willie Nelson once sang, “The nightlife ain’t no good life, but it’s my life”. While this may be true for most, Ed McGovern might disagree. He’s spent a good chunk of his Block Island career running taverns and for the most part- things seem to have turned out just fine for Ed.

 That’s not to say that Ed’s life on the island hasn’t been without problems. For example, what do you do when the ice boat you’re cruising around on goes through the ice? Luckily for Ed- that particular problem wasn’t as catastrophic as it could’ve been.

 Luck seems to follow Ed McGovern around. Upon being drafted into the army during the Vietnam War, Ed found himself being sent to Germany where he served as a clerk instead of heading off to the front lines. Others he graduated basic training with weren’t as lucky.

 But it’s not all luck for Ed. Despite his jovial demeanor, there’s a shrewd businessman and capable politician lurking just below the surface. Ed recalls his time serving on the Town Council where he eventually won the position of First Warden. 

 Either way it’s pretty evident that Ed McGovern’s life on Block Island has been a full one. Please enjoy our interview with one of the people responsible for bringing life to our Block Island nights. 

This week's episode courtesy of:

Captain Nick's - Fort Island Kayaks - Seapod -  The Darius Inn

Paige Linda drops by to catch up with Rich and Marc about life and stuff. 

And Paige has a pretty good life. But you know what they say...the grass is...always...

...it's always...something.          A rolling stone gathers no grass?           No...wait.

Well- whatever. 

Anyways, for as good as Paige has it. There's some stuff that goes along with it. Forget that this Mother of a young dragon (named Clayton) finds herself ensnared in a centuries-old, Game of Thrones-ish,  Block Island conundrum that sometimes causes her phone to blow the f**k up.

(sigh) 

Life was so much easier before they started putting airplanes on the ferry. Back when all you needed to get by was a tasty buzz and a reversible skirt. Back in the days when if some Chooch from New Jersey gave your buddy some guff, there was a clear path of action that would lead to swift justice.

Oh well. Who cares? The sun's shining, summer's almost here and best of all...

...you're on Block Island.

This week's episode courtesy of:

Fort Island Kayaks - Block Island Fishworks - The Neptune House - Lila Delman Compass

An hour can fly by pretty quickly when you're with one of Block Island's quintessential storytellers. Rich and Marc get sucked into Joe Houlihan's wormhole of wit and wisdom right off the bat and there's no looking back.

Well, actually- there's a lot of looking back. In fact...that's pretty much what we do for the whole hour. 

So hit play and hear all about Joe's Journey from his days as a rag-tag surfing troubadour to his illustrious career as an influential and beloved educator. 

Also known as the Ferry Dock Scribbler, Joe's published works as a writer are  "must read" material for anyone wants to experience Southeastern Rhode Island.

We also explore Joe's bromance with Walken.

Welcome back to Season Two of Two Guys on Block Island!

This week's episode courtesy of:

Block Island Fishworks - Winfield's Restaurant - Dish Off the Block - The Traveling Seamstress

In this episode, Rich and Marc shake the cobwebs off and discuss what they did all winter as well as what's been happening on the island since their break. Turns out- a lot has happened!

From changes of the guard at Town Hall, the BI Police Department and the BI Times to the great Moped debate- Rich and Marc navigate sometimes uncomfortable waters and attempt to make sense of it all.

Our hosts also discuss upgrades to the island's internet service as well as some shady dealings involving Champlin's Marina and their end run at expanding further into the Great Salt Pond.

Finally, Rich and Marc talk about some exciting new things happening with the Podcast and introduce...(drumroll please)...

Our Sponsors! That's right! The Two Guys are PROUD to introduce listeners to some of our friends in local business that were generous enough to believe in our little Podcast. We'll be introducing them to you throughout the season. This episode's sponsors are...

...wait...

...we already introduced them up top.

Nevermind. Yup- just hit "play".

If you've made it all the way to Episode 21 then from the bottom of our hearts...

Thank you.

We hope you had as much fun as we did this season. We're going to take a little break until Spring and maybe catch up on some paperwork. But most likely we'll be goofing off. At any rate- thanks so much for listening and be sure to stay in touch with us on social media over the coming weeks and months. We'll be posting updates on exactly when Season 2 will hit the airwaves! Or...the internet. Whatever.

In the meantime- thanks again for listening. Be good to each other.

Love,
Rich and Marc

Part Two of our conversation with Hank Hewitt!